For the first time in history, there is a women’s field at Redbull Rampage. Serena Rio breaks down all the gnar alongside Dominique Powers’ amazing imagery. Don’t miss this historic event and the heroines who ride it…
Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor at Harvard Business School, examined how small minorities in groups, such as women on corporate boards, struggle to have their voices heard. The “critical mass” theory suggests that when there is only one woman on a board, she is often seen as a token and her influence is limited, if at all existent. It was not until the numbers strengthened (in this case study, 3) that women were no longer seen as merely representing “the woman’s perspective” but instead as plain individuals and respectable contributors. (3)
Participants
1. Robin Goomes. NZL. 28. Yeti.
2. Casey Brown. CAN. 33. Trek.
3. Vinny Armstrong. NZL. 26. Forbidden.
4. Georgia Astle. CAN. 27. Divinci. (Alternate)
5. Vero Sandler. NZL. 31. Santa Cruz.
6. Vaea Verbeeck. CAN. 33. Rocky Mountain.
7. Chelsea Kimball. USA. 33. Specialized. (Alternate)
8. Cami Nogueira. ARG. 29. Propain.
The sun had just begun to peek out from behind the Southwest Utah mountains around 7:42 as I stood in the cool morning, slathering on crucial sunscreen to my vulnerable face and arms. Some friends and I were camped down by the North Creek River, across the street from the original Rampage site. There was already a generous mix of responsible early birds departing and hung-over campers rising that rustled around our camp. A small village of camper vans, trucks, and tents. Everyone busied themselves in anticipation of the day.
The women were dropping in for the first time into Red Bull Rampage.
My friend Sam and I skipped the line for the shuttles in lieu of riding the 3 miles to the venue. The sun had already traveled quickly to a more intrusive part of the sky when our tires hit the dusty fire road en route to the Rampage site. We weaved around a sparse number of other riders as the monument of a mountain grew on the horizon. As we drew closer, you could make out two tiny wooden gazebos-like arches nestled atop the monstrous mountain like two wedding cake toppers. They were decorated with two brazen red bulls charging across a yellow sun. The Red Bull Rampage men’s and women’s starting gates.
Rampage has been unofficially tagged-lined the Super Bowl of mountain biking. It’s not a race but a test of survival, skill, and style as freeride riders of impossible calibers imagine and craft their own creative, gnarly lines down Virgin Utah’s striking red rock cliffs. Then, they must ride and trick it better than their competitors. Each rider elects a dream team of three diggers. The girls receive four full, relentlessly sun-soaked desert days to build their Rampage lines from the start gate to the finish corral. They have three more days to test and tweak them. “It’s not that much time” facts Casey Brown (2)
While the men get to compound their lines from 18 previous years, the women are awarded a virgin mountain face in Virgin Utah. While there’s something special about a women-specific site that will grow only at the direction of women riders, it’s also daunting.
No Dig, No Ride
“We build our own lines from zero– with that comes a lot of challenges,” reports Chelsea Kimball, “deciding on something number one that will work and number two something that is going to take the right amount of time to build.” (2) An exhilarating—or terrifying concept. “Because they’re completely fresh build features, we don’t know the speed for them.” Adds Robin Goomes.(2)
Earlier in the week, Pivot’s rider Cami Nogueira had guinea-pigged the longest drop on the course – a 51 ft drop to be shared with Chelsea’s line. Though she managed to land it, she had generated far too much speed. She suffered a major crash in the runout but miraculously walked away with only a broken nose and a significant concussion. Upon evaluation and stern direction of Red Bull’s medical team, she was forced to withdraw from the competition the day before. The teams amended the landing, and Chelsea was still amped to hit the readjusted drop in her run. This is just part of the game.
As you draw closer to the mountain, you can see the lines the teams had carved out, smooth veins that snake down the mountain. The riders will drop 600 ft in an average of 90 seconds today. Freeriding is just a breath away from free falling.
Sam and I were forced to hand over our bikes to the custody of bike valets and walk another half mile into the venue. Our route convened with the dust bowl of the shuttle traffic, and the crowd poured into the easy-up encampment at the mountain’s base. The girls were scheduled to start at 10:30, but it was typical for the start to get pushed back due to wind.
“We are weather dependent,” (1) explained Georgia Astle earlier. The amount of time these riders spend in the air leaves them vulnerable to any wind factors. Vaea Verbeeck describes practice days leading up, “Some mornings it’s been pretty windy, and we just have to wait around – you know, not let it get to your head or your emotions.” (1).
It was breezy, and at 10 am, the girls hadn’t even been able to practice yet. You can see the red and white wind socks flailing at the peak, simple yet effective flags for quickly demarcating wind speed and direction.
People scrambled up the mountain for the best view; wristbands designated luckier individuals with higher access. Bodies and sun hats lined each ridgeline. Red Bull girls floated around with smiles and blue and red backpacks. The desert sun was growing more menacing, but it could do little to deter the boisterous crowd of the first-ever ladies’ Rampage.
Robin had pulled number 1 out of the order lottery. “It’s nerve-wracking. Having that number one plate and going first but at the same time, like, it’s an honor I’ll take it.” (2). Dripped in a Barbie pink and blue bike jersey, she sat perched 4355 ft on top of the mountain, bouncing feedback off her digger and friend mentor, Emerson. It was 12:10, and the girls finally got small runs of practice. They had waited enough; it was game time.
“Just gunna wait, that flags havin’ a little go” (2), she says in Kiwi fashion. The wind socks moved in a favorable direction. “Alright, I’ll fucking take it” (2). She readjusts her marble pink helmet and shifts her grip on the bars in anticipation. “Rider Number One,” the spotter at the top crackles into the com “Robin Goomes. 3..2..1”
Dropping In!
Robin drops. From the start gate the flat floor abruptly drops sharply into the course, leaning Robin to face down the mountain and into infinity. The crowd sits expansive and silent below. The wooden ramp ends short and dumps the rider onto steep, loose, dusty terrain.
“Yep yep yep yep slow down,” she breathes into the mic hooked up to her helmet.
She hits some smaller drops before pausing above a more intentionally raw, long, steep chute that Robin had preserved to commemorate the original, more naturally crude Rampage lines. Flying down it with precision, it sets her up for a long table, which Robin firmly backflips and lands a little deep. The crowd loses it. Hugging the bench cut along the mountain, she hits a few more minor steps before speed-checking into her Slot Drop, a 41 ft drop and the largest of her run. She executes flawlessly. Another notable drop sends her into a step-down, a double, and Robin nails another steady backflip off the final trick jump at the bottom. A beautifully clean first-ever women’s run. Rampage is screaming.
There were seven more girls to go, and the crowd vibrated and spilled with excitement. This was it—it was finally happening. Each girl proceeded to implement gorgeously professional runs, showcasing why they were hand-picked to ride this Red Bull invitational.
Casey Brown handled her exposed rock chute, “The Laundry Chute,” with the deft precision expected of the woman who has been at the forefront of free riding for over 15 years.
Vinny Armstrong had a slight slip off course but redeemed herself in style with a 1-footed euro and iconic 90-degree whips.
Georgia Astle– racer turned free-rider – handled the aptly named “Chuterus” with accuracy and poise. She greased the same 41 ft Slot Drop Robin hit in her run, cherry-topping it with a strong-armed sui. “I’m a sui guy.”(1) she joked earlier.
Surfer/skater Vero also slid through the Chuterus, hitting a 29′ drop and ending with a solid sui.
Vaea, Crankworxs queen nailed her Triple Stager, 3 death-defying on-offs with exquisite braking technique and dropping a large 37-footer.
Thus far, Robin had scored an 85.00 for her run, followed by Georgia with 79.66 and Casey’s 77.33.
Chelsea was the final rider, known for her ability to “just send it.” She still planned for the greatest drop on course, the one that took out Cami. Chelsea drops from the starting gate to the right. “Reset, roll, break, cruise,—- land strong,” she chants into her mic as she just sends it off a ledge. Cake walk. “Yeww! Let’s gooo.” she amps herself up. A step up to a shorter, more technical drop. “Set up wide, I got this,” but Chelsea deviates slightly off course in the landing.
Traction slips, and she loses her bike off the cliff. There’s an audible stomach drop as the gasps ripple through the crowd. Chelsea tumbles down a layer of fragile rock ledges before deftly catching herself on a larger ledge.
She dusts herself to her feet. “Dude, where’s my bike?!” (2) she demands as the crowd hoots in support and relief. Shuffling down to collect her bike, she remounts and Chelsea Sends It off the largest feature on the entire women’s course. A last little suicide trick off the trick jump before rolling into the end corral.
The crowd cheered incessantly, “Take a second run?” Asks the host, Selema. “Oh, of course.” (2)
A group of Chelsea’s girlfriends nearby buzzed excitedly as Chelsea pushed back up. “Chels!! We love you! You got this!
“Chelsea has one of the strongest mental games of anyone I’ve had the pleasure to ride with,” freeride legend Hannah Bergrman praises from the host booth.
Chelsea quickly scaled the mountain for her second run; however, none except Robin matched her enthusiasm enough to follow her to the top. Gomez stood near her on the summit, helmet in hand, ready to defend her title if necessary. Concern stretched on her face; she waffled at the gate; the wind clocked at a nervous 11 MPH. Undaunted, Chelseas dropped.
She breezed her first drop and T-bogged a small table. She crawled over to the troublesome 2nd drop and let the brakes go with a sharp exhale. Chelsea’s foot bounced and dragged as she slammed down onto the landing, and her bike slid out yet again. “NO DAMMIT” she cried in vain across the mic, but there was little she could do but grab ahold of the rock shelf yet again.
At the top, assured that Chelsea was okay, Robin jumped to her feet brimming with celebration. She bellowed, arms raised, framed like a trophy in the iconic Redbull Rampage start gate. Robin Goomes has become the first of many Women’s Redbull Rampage Champions.
The crowd shuffled its way off the mountain. Some were drunk off alcohol, some were drunk off the excitement, but we all were drunk off the sun. We stood waiting in the early evening desert, the sun relentlessly biting cheeks and shoulders, lips chapped, eyes excited. Today’s winner wins $100,000, equal to what the men will win on Saturday. Superlative awards were given to the girls. Casey Brown won the Magaza Spirit Award for her unbridled passion and tenacity for the sport. Chelsea won the Go Pro Moment award for her gigantic drop, and Vaea’s creative line earned her the Samsung Trail Blazer award. Cami won the BFG Toughness award for hitting a 51 ft drop, and Robin’s backflip well deserved the Utah Sports Best Trick Award.
As they finalized the day by calling up the top 3, I turned in time to catch my friend Jackie tearing up. Our friend Roxy, beside us, mutters the cliche phrase to herself, “I’m not crying, you’re crying.” As we witnessed Casey, then Georgia, and finally Robin climb onto the stage, the sense of pride from the crowd swelled so huge that even my own heart and throat burned with tears and appreciation. Of course, it’s more than just about this podium, it was a win for girls and inclusivity across the sport.
Red Bull Rampage creates an irrefutable “Sticky factor,” a key term journalist Malcolm Gladwell coined as a pivotal factor in a thing that makes it memorable. Something that makes it seem cool and exciting to new members, encouraging broader participation and enthusiasm– an obsession. (4) Any frustrated parent will tell you it won’t stick if it doesn’t seem “cool”. This, coupled with the impact of simply seeing strong role models on the big screen, makes performing in Rampage so crucial to girls’ accessibility in the sport.
“When I first got into mountain biking, I feel like I still didn’t even really know about Rampage, and then as the doorway opened up, I saw Rampage,” explains Georgia. “I never really would have dreamed about going; I didn’t even really know if it was possible. If you don’t have a role model, it’s really hard to dream big.”
This was our “critical mass theory”, our “cool sticky factor”. Our role models were up there drinking out of a crusty shoey and covering each other in champagne. At the rate the progression is going, with a few more Rampages in the bank the coverage of this event won’t be because they’re girls; it will be purely because they’re undeniable rippers. “The first men’s rampage didn’t have any backflips,” host Cam Mccaul pointedly remarked.
The next day, I ran into Casey Brown out by the old Rampage site; a buddy of ours was tattooing out of his little pristine trailer on the side of the mountain. Casey was leafing through an iPad, looking for a good tattoo design to commemorate the day before. “Would you do it again?” I asked; my mind had already unrolled a laundry list of excuses: the arduous digging processes, the fatally consequential risk of testing your own lines first, the pressure of dropping in and performing, the pressure of dropping in and performing better than any other girl, pitting your luck against the wind… my mind was still racing when she looked up from the iPad. Our eyes met and her teeth flashed the brightest and most confident smile. My thoughts were quieted. (1)
“Hell yeah of course!”
In the words of Rampage host Selema Masekela, who almost quoted the words of surf champ Cailtin Simmers, (2)
“Rampage is for the fucking girls.”
Testimonials
“We’re all so here for it like all of us are are ready now it’s like the right timing for us to be in Rampage I want that to continue to snowball into just being so normal for a girl to be dreaming to ride Rampage.”
–Georgia Astle
“I didn’t realize how emotional I would feel watching the first women of Rampage drop into their lines! I legit had goosebumps the entire time and couldn’t believe it was finally happening. It was such a pivotal moment for women’s freeride, and it made me damn proud to be a small part in it. These women are absolute heroes, and I am completely buzzing just thinking about how this will inspire future generations of female riders, and how bright the future is for women’s freeride!”
-Tanya Zarling
“I was stoked to hear that this year’s Red Bull Rampage was finally including women — and that the prize money was going to be equal for both categories. Robin Goomes was incredible with her backflips, but I really admired Chelsea Kimball’s determination as she went back for a second run after crashing in the first one. Hopefully there will be even more women competing next year, especially Cami Nogueira.”
-Jenny Oh
“It was such an incredible experience to even be watching it on TV and to think of all the work that went to getting women to this point! There are so many of us who were taking steps. I’m just really appreciative of the collective of women pioneering and pushing boundaries and walls! It means so much for the next generations to see what women are capable of. I’m really looking forward to the future in this sport!”
-Kat Sweet
“As a woman who came to this sport relatively late in life (I was 28), it was so awesome and amazing to watch women my age just kill it out there. Not saying that I am anywhere near their level but it was inspiring and I am more motivated to try and push my limits.”
-Carla Northy
1. Interviews were conducted by the author herself.
2. Red Bull GmbH. [Red Bull Bike]. (Oct 10, 2024) Red Bull Rampage 2024: Women’s Competition REPLAY. [Video] Youtube.
3. Sarah, C., & Mona, L. K. (2008). Critical Mass Theory and Women’s Political Representation. Political Studies, 56(3), 725-736. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00712.x
4. Gladwell, M. (2002). The tipping point. Back Bay Books.
From The Radavist editors: Although freeride claims to ride on “natural terrain” there is no denying that the very nature of the discipline and laborious digging that takes place ahead of Rampage stand at odds with Leave No Trace principles. The Radavist is a firm supporter of LNT and we promote a “Shred Lightly” approach to the outdoors. But, in this instance, we wanted to take this opportunity to cover a pivotal moment in women’s sport. To learn more about why we advocate for LNT, please watch our film, “From Bio Crust, With Love.”